Afghan Colony (The ‘little Kabul’ right in the heart of Delhi)
Introduction
India has time and again witnessed a rush of Afghani refugees leaving their homes and settling in various parts of the country.
The Afghans have been fleeing their homeland since 1978 after the Saur revolution and then more fled during the Soviet invasions in 1979. Another wave of people fleeing the country hit it during the civil war in 1990’s and more migration took place when Taliban took over the country.
The Afghanistan refugees have preferred India as their asylum because of the easy accessibility to the resources they get here, ease of access to health centers, education, security and most importantly freedom and safety, compared to the kind of environment they were exposed to in Afghanistan.
Delhi itself has various pockets whereby the Afghanis have made their new homes. One of such places is in the colony of Lajpat Nagar II, Central Delhi.
It is so full of Afghan population that it is now known as the ‘Little Kabul.’
I set out to understand the life, culture, pains and trials of the people living in the so-called Little Kabul.
Walking down the Lanes
At the behest of my exploration I came across people of dark eyes, fair skin, bright shiny smiles wearing exotic kaftans speaking Pashto. They are seen casually swarming in and around the areas of Lajpat Nagar.
From the street vendors to owners of big stores and restaurants, you will find yourself surrounded by Afghans.
The people are a little shy and try to avoid eye contact. However, once you have established trust, they are the most beautiful souls you’ve ever met.
Built under the basement of a two-storied house, this general store owned by two middle-aged Afghans caters to basic need of the people.
As I kept pacing forward, I came across a salon with the billboard in English as well as Daro language to make it easier for the Afghan population.
A few Afghans own the restaurants and serve the exotic Afghan food.
This particular place was intriguing with its billboard. Apart from their language, the board also had the Afghanistan’s flag.
The moment you enter the restaurant, you are greeted with utmost respect and warmth and you come across a huge painting of the Blue Mosque on your right.
Their typical Afghan naan went great with the amazing Chicken biryani which they served with a bowl of Rajma.
The staff and the owner were so welcoming and sweet.
This restaurant has two outlets in the same market. One of the most interesting thing was the type of seating they had. Apart from the usual chairs and tables, they also had a bed sort of a seating just like in a Afghan home. Although I couldn’t eat much at this place (as I had already gorged on the food from the previous one), their ambience was superb.
Apart from the big fancy restaurants, there are small vendors selling burgers and street food, adding the Afghan flavour in them.
Afghan culture from Fateh’s Perspective
I came across a young man, in his twenties, Fateh. As I started talking to him, I realised he was a married man with two kids, who shifted to Delhi from Kabul quite recently.
I couldn’t help but notice a slight difference in his attire.
After enquiring a little more, I got to know that not all Afghans belong to the same tribe.
In fact there are almost 32 languages in Afghanistan itself and various tribes such as the Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Pashiye, Baluch, etc.
Fateh kept telling me more about these tribes and that all the tribes follow the same religion, Islam.
The difference is their language and the way they dress up.
He belongs to the Hazara tribe. After talking for almost an hour, he narrated his story. Fateh was employed in a management firm; one day while he was walking down the streets he heard a loud bang, almost deafening. After coming into senses, he realised that there was a bomb blast in his own office. “In a matter of seconds, I lost all my colleagues and friends.”, recalled Fateh.
It was after the blast that he decided to leave everything behind , taking his family and settled in India.
Suddenly, there was a cute little voice of his daughter calling him to buy bread.
She was quite fluent in daro, and it made me ask him that was he worried that his children will forget the rich Afghan tradition.
At that moment, Fateh said something which had a lasting impression. He said, “Culture is something in your DNA.”
After a long conversation I bid him and his daughter goodbye and they gave me the famous Afghani naan!
Survival woes – A first hand Narrative
During my research, I met a woman named Nilofar. She came to Delhi in 2017 with her family. She lives with her eight siblings and parents in Vikaspuri, in a three room flat.
“It’s a small accommodation but at least we are all safe.” – Nilofar.
After talking some more, I found out that while in Afghanistan Nilofar’s cousin was kidnapped and a week later his dead body was delivered to their house.
The same thing happened to her uncle who was kidnapped twenty years ago.
These ghastly incidents had shattered them completely and it was also the very reason for them to move to India.
She also shared that while they were in their homeland the only source of entertainment for them was Bollywood songs as they did not have a local radio station.
It was only later when they moved to India that they realised that these songs and their lyrics were their little vocabulary of hindi that they had picked up.
Getting deeper into the conversation, I realised and sensed the hidden pain of her parents who were at complete loss in the new country. They do not the language, the people and the culture.
Also at their age it is very difficult for them to adapt and learn from the environment.
Moreover, they even feel that their own children are alienating from them as they are learning new language and culture and almost forgetting their roots.
Little do the parents realise that this was the need of the hour.
The entire family misses the taste and flavour of Afghan cuisine which mainly consisted of beef and meat. Although they have access to meat here, but the taste is different for them.
They even miss the original taste of Kandhar pomegranate , apple and grapes.
She narrated that one big difficulty while walking down the city of Delhi is the constant staring and scrutining eyes of the people around . This makes her feel out of place and intimidated.
Another problem that she shared was of not finding the suitable and well-paid job here. Although she is a qualified professional who could have easily got a good job with hefty salary and perks in her own country, is lowly paid in India.
Laughingly she even said that she could have owned two cars and a nice home there .
During our conversation, I found out that her brother was quite recently married to a beautiful Afghan girl here in Delhi. I obviously inquired more about the Afghan weddings. She got all excited and told me everything.
First there is henna (mehendi) night where the unmarried girls of the house apply henna on the bride’s hands.
The bride wears traditional Afghan clothes, and the groom wears jami (traditional Afghan pants and shirt) with a lungy (traditional Afghan head gear).
The evening is celebrated with Attan dancing (traditional Afghan dance) in which they basically form a circle and dance.
This is a religious Islamic marriage ceremony in which a marriage contract is agreed upon. It is held in private with the gathering of the couple’s immediate family and is led by an Islamic clergy, the mullah.
The bride and groom are traditionally kept in separate rooms. The bride is represented in the Nikah by her father or a close male relative. The Nikah is negotiated before the mullah between the groom and bride’s representative.
Once the groom has accepted the terms of the marriage, the mullah then comes before the bride and asks three times if she accepts the marriage.
Special prayers are said by the mullah which are called khutb nikah. Once the bride accepts, they are pronounced husband and wife.
After the nikah ceremony, there is a reception for everyone and the couple joins the celebration as husband and wife.
Life in Afghanistan
It is through her I came to know that life is not so bad in Afghanistan even now. There are people living there and earning their livelihoods, hanging out, and meeting their loved ones.
But the grave truth is that all this could be finished and destroyed in a matter of seconds.
The one thing every person yearns for is certainty that they will return and find their families and homes safe and intact each and every day of their life.
A Ray of Hope
Community development initiatives by the UNHCR are designed to help refugees become more self-reliant.
While a large majority of those registered by UNHCR in India live in Delhi, an increasing number are settling outside the capital. The Government of India allows UNHCR mandate refugees to apply for long- term visas and work permits. Refugees and asylum-seekers have access to basic government services such as health care and education. In addition, they have access to the law-enforcement and justice systems.
UNHCR’s primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees.
Started last year by the women – all refugees from conflict-torn Afghanistan – their culinary venture has gained popularity among foodies in New Delhi, and is giving its four founders both financial independence and a measure of respect.
Conclusion
“Life as a refugee is like being stuck in quicksand – every time you move, you sink down further.” Former UN high Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres cited these lines to illustrate the dire conditions in which many refugee families find themselves.
For untold numbers of people, moving to another country brings no real security and they are forced to live in conditions of extreme deprivation and uncertainty.
In spite of the struggles that come with abandoning their lives and homes, most Afghans seem to have assimilated well, finding small jobs or even opening businesses of their own.
The Afghan restaurants in Delhi have turned into popular hangouts in the evenings, drawing not only Afghans, but many locals as well.
It can be rightly said that the afghan community is capable of maintaining a sense of connection with others and offering moments of authentic happiness to those around them bringing colour and vibrancy to even greater lustre.
In our country today, there are people who greet the sudden appearance of refugees with a deep empathy for all that they have endured, to spontaneously extend the hand of support and welcome. Each such act is an important source of encouragement, an irreplaceable lifeline.
Quoting Mahatma Gandhi – “We cannot look after thousands of people. But if we can touch one person’s life and save that life, that is the great change that we can effect.”
